About 50 Cambodian-Americans attended a temple ceremony in the Washington area on Friday, observing a candle vigil for the victims of the Khmer Rouge on the 40th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh.

The vigil was held at Wat Buddhikarama, a Cambodian Buddhist temple in Silver Spring, Maryland, in what organizers say was the temple’s first such memorial service.

A cherry tree was planted to honor the victims of the regime, which caused the deaths of more than 1.7 million people and led to the emigration of many to the United States, including many of today's 15,000 Cambodians in the Washington DC area.